This book features research papers that examine a host of contemporary issues in Thailand. Coverage includes culture, gender violence, tourism, human trafficking, environmental and ecological issues, sustainability and the sufficiency economy, the (mis)handling of elephants, and more. It features a sociological and anthropological perspective with a dash of communication for sustainable social change. The papers investigate the various phases of communication technology and its impact on cultural change in the country. They explore the use of social networks and privacy issues as well as ethical journalism in the contexts of Thai Buddhism, Thai culture, and other enabling environmental factors. The contributors focus on documentary research of both quantitative and qualitative data on Thai social change as a consequence of globalization and digital technology. They first provide a general overview of social media and communication in the country. Next, the authors go on to explore the specifics of digital communication. This includes a look at its impact on the various ways of Thai communication given politico-economic and religious influences.

This book features research papers that examine a host of contemporary issues in Thailand. Coverage includes culture, gender violence, tourism, human trafficking, environmental and ecological issues, sustainability and the sufficiency economy, the (mis)handling of elephants, and more. It features a sociological and anthropological perspective with a dash of communication for sustainable social change. The papers investigate the various phases of communication technology and its impact on cultural change in the country. They explore the use of social networks and privacy issues as well as ethical journalism in the contexts of Thai Buddhism, Thai culture, and other enabling environmental factors. The contributors focus on documentary research of both quantitative and qualitative data on Thai social change as a consequence of globalization and digital technology. They first provide a general overview of social media and communication in the country. Next, the authors go on to explore the specifics of digital communication. This includes a look at its impact on the various ways of Thai communication given politico-economic and religious influences.

The health communication strategies presented in this book are based on the understanding that there are many factors underpinning health. Starting from a framework of addressing health at an individual, group, and structural level, we need to realize the impact of globalization and social determinants on health. Health literacy and media literacy are necessary for health communicators and stakeholders to communicate effectively about/on health. Knowledge and skills in media technology, especially new media, new developments in the Internet and mobile devices are important. In addition, intercultural communication is essential to understand and collaborate with others. Health communication needs collaboration from all sectors in society. The health communication promoted in this book is based on a participatory model based within the multiplicity paradigm. Strategies suggested in this book are practical examples to encourage the reader to design his/her own strategies to serve a particular community. Before one can devise a strategy for health promotion and disease prevention, one needs to understand that a top-down communication approach cannot change nor sustain peoples health behaviors. On the contrary, one needs to create an enabling environment or a context that supports an individuals decision to change their behavior. How to achieve sustainability in health or health for all is ultimately what this book is about. In nine chapters, the reader is introduced to the history and discourses of health communication and sustainable development; the first part provides the reader with an in-depth overview of the many health communication theories, set in the context of globalization and localization and assessed from both anthropological and sociological perspectives. In the second part of the book, chapters systematically explain communication for/about health for sustainable development in general, as well as regarding old and new traditional and digital media in particular. The concluding chapters present the principles and applications of health communication strategies for sustainability. Sustainability in health can only be achieved once health equality is a reality.

The aim of this book is to shed new light on this theoretically and practically significant issue, and questions the role of technology and culture in social change. It challenges us to reconsider and rethink the impact of new information and communication technologies on civil society, participatory democracy and digital citizenship in theoretical and methodological contributions, through the analysis of specific cases in Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Colombia, Kenya, Netherlands and the United States. Access to information and communication technologies is a necessity, and the importance of access should not be trivialized, but a plea for digital literacy implies recognizing that access is the beginning of ICT policies and not the end of it. Digital literacy requires using the Internet and social media in socially and culturally useful ways aimed at the inclusion of everybody in the emerging information/knowledge society. Technology matters, but people matter more.